Cyclist Floyd Landis Admits to Doping, Brings Lance Armstrong Down With Him

Yesterday, news broke that American cyclist Floyd Landis admitted to the USA Cycling Federation his systematic use of performance-enhancing drugs throughout his career. His admission came in the form of an e-mail chain between him and reps at USA Cycling, in which he also accused former teammates Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, Dave Zabriskie and Armstrong's longtime coach, Johan Bruyneel, of involvement in doping.

Landis has upset the pro cycling community, who feel his admission is mostly just destructive to the sport at this point. He told ESPN he was only now admitting to doping to clear his conscience—and also, in part, because the World Anti-Doping Agency's eight-year statute of limitations was close to running out. "If I don't say it now, it's pointless to ever say it," he told ESPN.

However, the news of Landis's drug use came as no surprise to
anyone. After all, he was stripped of his Tour de France title in 2006, though
he had continued to deny cheating. Also, the fact that he has chosen to confess
just as the second biggest tour (Giro d'Italia), as well as the one
thatLance
Armstrong and his teamare riding
in (Tour of California), are taking place is significant. It's the perfect
opportunity to create a buzz to distract Armstrong and his team. When asked what
Landis's agenda was, International Cycling Association president Pat McQuaid
told ESPN, "The guy is seeking revenge. It's sad, it's sad for cycling. It's
obvious he does hold a grudge."

Lance Armstrong is the most drug-tested athlete out there, and
has always come out the other end clean. So, is this just another round of
accusations that will put Armstrong's name on the front page, or are these
admissions the ones that may end up stripping the famous cyclist of one of seven
Tour de France titles? I guess we'll see. Armstrong updates his Twitter multiple times
a day, commenting on training, tours and news. He hasn't posted today, but we're
guessing he will. Keep an eye out for his side of the story.

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